Disinformation Inc: 12 Republicans press State Department over grants to Global Disinformation Index

This is part a Washington Examiner This series focuses on self-described “disinformation” groups that track groups that blacklist conservative media and attempt to defund them. Here Here you can find other information Stories The series.

EXCLUSIVE — A Dozens of Republican Members of Congress want answers The State Department It bankrolling A “disinformation” The tracking group is the Washington Examiner This is what it looks like Blacklisting Attempting to close down conservative websites.

Republicans are proud continued To Press Secretary of State Antony Blinken Two State Department-backed entities were the Global Engagement Center, and the National Endowment for Democracy. They granted $665,000 in 2020 and 2021 to support the Global Disinformation Index. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-GA, led 12 lawmakers who wrote a Saturday letter asking for grant information and explaining why the agency was funded. “foreign organization that polices and suppresses domestic American information.”

STATE DEPARTMENT MISSES DATED TO PROVIDE INFO ON CONSERVATIVE BLACKLISTS

“These grants have real world implications, chilling freedom of expression and speech with impunity,” The Republicans wrote. “For example, considering the Energy Department and FBI’s new determination that the Coronavirus most likely arose from a Wuhan lab leak, this taxpayer funded British outfit pressured advertising companies to ‘punish’ websites that dared to report on the entirely legitimate lab leak theory.”

GDI is a British nonprofit organization that has two U.S. non-profit groups linked to it. Compiles A “dynamic exclusion list” With at least 2000 sites, it considers itself to be one of the largest disinformation peddlers. It deems at least 2,000 sites to be the foremost disinformation peddlers. Washington Examiner Learned Only that it’s on this list, which is what advertising companies use to determine which sites to defund.

Separately, GDI also exists The 10 “riskiest” News sites are the FederalistThe American Conservative?, Daily Wire, RealClearPolitics, The New York Post, and other right-leaning outlets.

The majority of State Department-linked funds were handed to GDI. It was from The National Endowment for Democracy is almost entirely funded by congressional appropriations. NED gave $545,000 to GDI to enable it to create disinformation between 2020-2021. “risk ratings” in foreign countries.

However, Last month, NED was announced It will no longer be able to support GDI “to avoid the perception” It’s working! “any work domestically, directly or indirectly,” It focuses on matters of foreign policy. The State Department’s Global Engagement Center is still available. Granted The U.S. Paris Tech Challenge will contribute $100,000 to GDI in 2021, a program that fights corruption. “disinformation” overseas, He has not made any similar commitment.

The Republicans wrote to the President on Saturday asking him questions. State Department It will find it “appropriate for a de facto foreign organization or individual to police” U.S. media outlets. They gave a March 30 deadline to answer all questions.

“How does funding efforts to counter ‘disinformation’ by a foreign agent in the amount of $665,000, through the two State Department-backed entities named herein, advance America’s national security and diplomatic interests?” Ask the legislators.

The State Department was also questioned by the lawmakers over its legitimacy. “involved or consulted” In connection with GDI’s different anal